KAYSVILLE – Donate up to $5,000 to the Safe Harbor Domestic Violence Shelter and your generosity will be matched, through Aug. 15.

The “Match Squared” campaign is a new effort this year initiated by a former shelter client who wishes to remain anonymous, said Kay Card, center executive director.

“For whatever reason, people in the summer are caught up in holidays and vacations,” she said. “The shelter suffers from a real lack of donations in the summer.”

That’s even as the shelter tends to be busier than ever, filled to capacity with women and children, Card said.

In 2012, 625 women and children were housed in the shelter during the year. Nearly 7,700 shelter nights were provided Рabout 10 percent higher than has been the case previously, she said.

Women and children are often staying in the shelter longer. That’s because affordable housing and jobs are getting harder to find and taking longer, Card said.

The shelter also provides supportive services to nearly 1,500 women and children in the community. A volunteer crisis team also responds with law enforcement during emergency situations.

In Utah, one out of three adult homicides are domestic violence related. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women.

All services are offered free of charge and client information is kept confidential. The center is operated as a nonprofit and donations are tax deductible.

“The shelter helps not only the women here now but for generations that come,” she said. “Domestic violence is so generational. Problems get visited upon the children. A lot of our effort is to help strengthen the children as well.”